earthquake
Sign in to savethumb|upright=1.35|Earthquake epicenters occur mostly along tectonic plate boundaries, especially on the Pacific [[Ring of Fire.]]
AI overview
An earthquake is a sudden shaking of the Earth's ground caused by movement along tectonic plate boundaries, with most occurring in areas like the Pacific Ring of Fire where these massive plates meet. Earthquakes matter because they can cause significant damage to buildings and infrastructure, and understanding where they're likely to happen helps communities prepare and protect themselves.
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Article
45 sectionsContents
- Terminology
- Major examples
- Occurrence
- Fault types
- Normal faults
- Reverse faults
- Strike-slip faults
- Energy released
- Focus
- Volcanic activity
- Rupture dynamics
- Supershear earthquakes
- Slow earthquakes
- Co-seismic overpressuring and effect of pore pressure
- Tidal forces
- Clusters
- Aftershocks
- Swarms
- Frequency
- Induced seismicity
- Measurement and location
- {{anchor|Magnitude}}Intensity and magnitude
- Seismic waves
- Speed of seismic waves
- Seismic wave arrival
- Location and reporting
- Effects
- Shaking and ground rupture
- Soil liquefaction
- Human impacts
- Landslides
- Fires
- Tsunami
- Floods
- Management
- Prediction
- Forecasting
- Preparedness
- In culture
- Outside of Earth
- See also
- References
- Sources
- Further reading
- External links
thumb|upright=1.35|Earthquake epicenters occur mostly along tectonic plate boundaries, especially on the Pacific [[Ring of Fire.]]
An earthquake, also called a quake, tremor, or temblor, is the shaking of the Earth's surface resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from those so weak they cannot be felt, to those violent enough to propel objects and people into the air, damage critical infrastructure, and wreak destruction across entire cities. The seismic activity of an area is the frequency, type, and size of earthquakes experienced over a particular time. The seismicity at a particular location in the Earth is the average rate of seismic energy released per unit volume.